


Family

by sunflower1343



Series: Therapy [17]
Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 19:32:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10748340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflower1343/pseuds/sunflower1343
Summary: Everyone leaves town and Asami has to take care of Tao. Nothing ever fazes Asami, but he's never really faced a twelve year old boy.





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a birthday present for my friend Mar-chan, who did some really cute fan art for all of Yamane-sensei's works over the years (look her up, it's worth it, mercebymar). And after she read this she drew another that I link to at the end of the post.
> 
> As I mentioned before, I love putting Asami and Tao in situations together because Asami is disarmed by the boy, and that's so much fun to write. This fic is also where I added Yoh into the mix, since we found out about him in the manga around this point. Just pretend he's always been there. XD
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm going to have to go to Hong Kong, aren't I?"

"It looks that way. And I can't take time off to accompany you."

"Mmm. Maybe I'll see if Akihito wants to go. You wouldn't mind, would you? We'd only be gone a week or so. You _can_ live that long without sex?"

"I might be able to. Provided I get plenty between now and the time you leave."

"I might be able to arrange that. Not related to sex: while I'm gone, can you take care of Tao as well?"

Asami blanked his face to cover the slight panic that ran through him. A week taking care of the kid? "Sure. Why couldn't I? How tough can it be?"

Fei smiled.

 

\--

 

His arms slipped reluctantly from around Akihito's waist, as reluctantly as Akihito slid from them. Asami's eyes met Fei's and sent a message. _Take care of him or die._

Fei smiled fondly and kissed Asami lightly on the lips. "Don't worry. I won't allow anything to happen to him. After all, he has the best assassin in this hemisphere with him 24/7."

Asami's lips twitched. "Only in this hemisphere? You've grown modest."

Fei fluttered his lashes. "I try to be more humble these days."

The three of them were smiling as they parted. But it covered an ache Asami didn't want to admit as he watched the limo pull away. An ache and a pain. He recalled the rest of the conversation with Fei.

_"Don't forget to spend time with Tao every day so he doesn't miss me too much. Check his schedule for any school activities at which he'll need parental support. You'll need to show up in my place. But mainly, just make a point to talk to him Ryuichi. He'll get lonely too."_

Lonely too? As if he couldn't last a week without them. He'd lasted thirty-five years without them. He called the car around so he could get going. Without Fei there, he had double the workload and he intended to get every bit of it done.

He figured Tao could take care of himself. He'd come home during dinner hours just to make an appearance, but for the most part stay busy at the office. The kid was twelve. What twelve year old boy wanted an adult breathing down his neck? He probably spent all his time surfing porn on the internet and wouldn't want to be interrupted anyway. 

He dismissed Tao from his mind and focused on work.

 

\--

 

"Hey, Uncle Ryuichi? I'm having a problem with this English homework. Can you help?"

Asami set his newspaper aside. Two days in. So far it was a piece of cake. If this was all he had to do with the kid, it would be easy. 

"Sure. No problem." He took the paper from Tao, scribbled the answers on it, and handed it back. "There. All done." He picked up his newspaper and resumed reading about the latest fight for political dominance within the Diet.

"Uncle Ryuichi."

He lowered his paper. "What? Did I miss one?"

"No. The point is, I wanted someone to explain these phrases to me. They make no sense."

"They're proverbs. They're not supposed to make sense."

"They usually make some kind of sense in terms of the culture though. But some of them... they're just stupid. Like this one. Money doesn't grow on trees. Do so many English believe that it does that someone had to make a proverb about it?"

"Tao, most people need to be told that. How many of your classmates have jobs or investment accounts?"

"They're twelve years old."

"It didn't stop you, did it? That's the difference between us and between people who need to be told that money doesn't grow on trees. We don't need to be told any of that stuff. Here's another." He pointed at the page. " _'It's no use crying over spilt milk.'_ Well no shit. Who would bother? Not us. But people do that all the time. Those sayings are the common sense of generations wrapped up in a neat little package, for their descendants who have none. People like us with sense to begin with, we don't need to worry about such things."

"We do if we want high marks in English."

"Memorize them. Or better yet, cheat. If you need to use them in the future, you can always look them up in a dictionary."

"You cheated in school?"

"Yeah, sometimes. If a class was annoying I'd screw the teacher and get top grades that way. But most of the time I didn't have to bother. It was all too easy. Just memorizing and applying formulae. The worthwhile lessons were what I learned outside the classroom." Asami fell silent thinking about some of them, hoping Tao would never have to learn those.

"Uncle Ryuichi, what... what kind of childhood did you have?"

Asami stared at the boy. He was good at reading people, and Tao's face was always an open book to him. The concern in it touched him. He smiled faintly. "Probably no different than most children's. Do you have any other questions?"

Tao and he looked at each other stubbornly before Tao's eyes dropped. "No. Thank you. I'll memorize these." Tao headed out of the study. Asami picked up his newspaper again, pausing when he heard, "And if that doesn't work I'll screw my teacher." 

Asami, behind his paper, smiled.

 

\--

 

The fact that his lovers were gone didn't bother him too much during the day, though it would have been nice to have Fei around for discussing some of the business. And even at night, later after dinner, he kept busy dealing in things that one didn't speak of during the light of day. But much later, when he came home at three or four in the morning, that was when he felt it.

When he stepped into the darkened house he could always tell they weren't there. It was nothing specific, just a general emptiness that he remembered from his days in his apartment.

He trudged up the stairs, pulling at his tie. It was tempting, so tempting, to find another body to lose himself in, but he knew the search would be futile. He'd look and find nothing to compare to the men he had now. Besides, he could never again do something that would hurt Akihito like that. Hell, it would probably upset Fei too. It just wasn't worth it. 

A light coming from under Tao's door caught his attention. A diversion. He needed one. He walked up and knocked softly before entering. 

Tao hastily scrubbed his eyes, wiping tears away.

Asami stopped in his tracks, feeling ridiculously out of place. Crying ukes he could handle. You just fuck them, and if you like them, pet them a while. But a crying kid? He had no idea what to do with one. And Fei'd kill him if he didn't handle this right.

He felt a weight on his shoulders as he sat down heavily upon the bed. He shook it off. Problem-solving was his forte. He knew the steps. First, find out the problem. He looked at the boy, trying to read him and not understanding what he saw. Shame? For what? Tao wouldn't meet his eyes. 

"What's wrong?"

Tao sighed tremulously, as if more tears were trying to escape. "You don't have to worry about me, Uncle Ryuichi. I'm fine. I'm sorry you were disturbed."

He felt a rush of relief. He could get out of there. Until he looked at Tao's face more closely and realized the boy sensed his discomfort and was offering him an out. A twelve year old was offering Asami Ryuichi an easy out and he'd been about to take it. He didn't often feel disgusted with himself, but this was one of those times.

"I don't like repeating myself. What's wrong?"

Tao's shoulders relaxed. Asami saw that he'd been bracing himself for being abandoned and was relieved he hadn't been. He felt even more ashamed of himself. His voice softened. "Tao?"

The boy's sigh this time was a little easier. "I just missed everyone. Father of course, because we talk about everything. Uncle Akihito, because we play together. And you too, because, well, I just like being around you." 

That caught him by surprise. "Why?"

Tao was taken aback by the question. "Well, um, lots of reasons. You treat me like an adult and don't talk down to me. You're always honest with me. I always feel protected with you, like it doesn't matter what comes through the door, I know you'll take care of it. And when the other two aren't with you, it's really calm and peaceful wherever you are, and it's nice to be there."

Egotistical though he was, he was stunned by this. He hadn't realized the child thought so much of him. For once he found himself tongue-tied.

"Anyway, the house was so empty tonight. It was like everything I'd gained the past few months suddenly disappeared. I guess it got to me."

Asami nodded. This he understood. "I felt it too, coming home. I used to live like this, did for years, and it never bothered me. But once you get used to having company, it's a different story. It feels like a loss instead of like normal." 

Guilt hit him hard as he suddenly realized that he'd been leaving Tao alone in this while he escaped into work. That was low even for him.

But Tao didn't seem to be accusing him. He only looked surprised. "You miss them too? Sometimes it seems like nothing bothers you. I tried to be like that too, but I guess I'm not as strong as you are Uncle Ryuichi. I'm sorry. I didn't want to let you down, but I couldn't help it. Crying, I mean. I know you hate it. But I'll try not to do it again."

_He thought he'd disappointed me? If anything it should be the other way around._ He tried to frame his reply carefully. "Tao... I won't lie to you. I dislike people who cry a lot. Except for someone like Akihito, because he's just expressing what's in his heart. But so were you, weren't you?"

Tao thought about it and reluctantly agreed. "I guess so."

"So many people, in times of trouble, stand around and cry. That infuriates me, because they could be doing something to improve their situation. But that's very different from something like this. Some people, when emotion boils over, release it through tears. Even... " 

He took a deep breath. His shame at how he'd treated the boy made him more forthcoming than usual. "Even I have on occasion. Not often. But it's happened. And I won't despise anyone for simply feeling the same way."

He glanced at Tao, whose eyes had gone wide. 

Asami quickly continued. "But if I ever seeing you crying when you should be taking care of a situation I'll kick your ass. Understand?"

Tao's head moved up and down quickly.

Asami hesitated a moment. He hated apologizing, but he owed a major debt here. "Tao, I'm sorry I've not been more available. Whenever you get lonely, if I'm not in the house, you can text or call me. Got it? I'll try to be here more the next few days though. Maybe we can, I don't know, talk or do whatever you do with Akihito. Think of some things we can do together. So there's no need for more crying, is there?"

Tao shook his head, seemingly shocked into silence by Asami's offer.

"Good. Now lie down and go to sleep. And remember that you're not here alone."

Tao slowly but obediently slid down between his sheets and reach up for the light switch. His hand hesitated. "Uncle Ryuichi?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Asami's heart started beating frantically against the walls of his chest. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He didn't love the kid back, even though he liked him. He wasn't going to lie.

Tao's eyes softened. He reached out and patted Asami's arm. "It's OK. Me loving you doesn't mean you have to love me just yet. I just wanted you to know."

Asami looked at the small hand comforting him, and something inside him wanted to cry. He swallowed. "Thank you."

Tao smiled and turned off the light.

Asami sat there a long time before returning to his room.

 

\--

 

"Uncle Ryuichi, don't forget my ballgame tonight!"

Asami nodded as the boy climbed out of the limousine that was sitting in front of his school. When the door closed he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. 

A ballgame. At least the other crime lords wouldn't make fun of him for going to a ballgame.

Not like whatever the hell they'd been playing at last night. Akihito was going to be pissed when saw what Asami had done to his online character. Not that there was a trace of it left. Idiotic online etiquette. If a village is going to look at him funny, they should be prepared to be destroyed. 

Though really, who wouldn't look funny at an eight foot tall green dwarf in sequined battle armor? Only Akihito would make such an absurd creature. He should be happy that the thing had been wiped from existence. He grinned. He'd have to distract him once he found out there was nothing left of it. Maybe make him wear sequins of his own.

He pulled out his phone and programmed the ballgame in. If he missed it Fei would kill him. He paused at the thought. That internal threat had been prompting a lot of his actions these past few days. What a wife he was. It irked him. He was acting like he was... pussy whipped. 

_Oh my God. I_ am _pussy whipped. This cannot be happening._

He almost erased the game from his schedule in retaliation, but knew the boy would be upset. His words from two nights before still reverberated in his head. "I love you." Genuinely felt and offered. He knew how rare that was and he would not abuse it. He would, however, have to abuse Fei. He stuck his phone back into his inside suit pocket, his plan for that already in place.

As he stared out the window of the limo, his thoughts drifted back to last night. At least the kid had been laughing the whole time. The kid... He had a name. Tao. Tao was laughing the whole time. It turned out to be pretty easy to make a child smile. Just pay attention to him.

His thoughts started turning to less happy memories, so he shut them off and began to attend to the day's business.

 

\--

 

His phone alarm went off. He turned off his laptop "Yoh, get the car. We have to go to a ballgame."

Yoh paused in his trek to the door. "Did you want to change first?"

Asami shot him a withering look. "Into what, one of my tailor's "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" line of suits?"

Yoh's ears turned red. "Fei-sama always changes before going."

Asami's eyebrow rose, as did he, and he stalked across the carpet. "Yoh, I put up with a lot from you for old time's sake, but Do Not, in your puppy dog lust for My Husband, Liu Feilong, forget for whom you work. Is that clear?

Yoh bowed, deeply. "I beg your pardon, Asami-sama. Of course, I work for you."

"I'm just in love with Fei-sama," Asami finished for him. Yoh's cheeks turned red.

"You know, Yoh, there's this doctor who has the same problem you do. I should hook the two of you up so you can commiserate. Maybe even form a fan club. I'll give you his phone number. Come on, let's go." He pushed Yoh out the door. "If you love him so much, why didn't you go to Hong Kong with him?"

Yoh looked sideways at him. "He asked me to stay here and take care of you, of course."

And for once, Asami didn't have anything to say.

 

\--

 

Asami looked around the small field at the middle school. No place to sit. Grass stains on his million yen suit. Great. Well, it couldn't be any worse than some of the other stains the cleaner had to get out of his clothes on a regular basis. He glanced at Yoh as he settled onto the ground. 

"Is that a smirk I see on your face? Would you like me to use the jacket to your 20,000 yen suit as a cushion?"

Yoh's smirk disappeared. Or at least, he didn't let Asami see it anymore. Asami suspected the latter.

The small field was attracting a lot of attention, more than Asami expected. There were droves of girls, some of whom were clearly high school age, and quite a few young mothers and fathers. A cheer rose up from all of them when the teams ran out onto the field.

Asami spotted Tao right away. He looked pretty cute in his uniform, if one liked that kind of thing. All the girls spotted him too, and squeals arose from them en masse. "Tao! Hi Tao! Is your father coming today?"

Asami winced and turned to Yoh. "Dammit. I don't suppose you have any earplugs left from the shooting range?"

Yoh pulled an earplug out. "What?"

Asami glared at him. "Is it always like this?"

Yoh nodded. "You've been out with Fei-sama before. You know what it's like."

"This is all for Fei?"

"They think Tao's pretty adorable too."

Tao looked around and spotted him. He waved. "Hi Uncle Ryuichi!"

Asami wasn't about to wave. But he did nod his head acknowledging Tao. The crowd turned as one, mothers, girls, fathers, boys, and stared at him. "Oh my God. He's hotter than the father." A new faction broke off and began arguing with the Fei fans.

Lesser men might have been fazed. Asami was used to it. He spoke clearly and loudly. "Yoh, if any one of them approaches, shoot them. I'm here to watch the game."

Yoh took out an earplug. "What?"

Asami snatched the earplug away and threw it, then wiped his hands on the grass in disgust. "I said if one of them tries to bother me, shoot her."

Yoh shrugged. "Those are standing orders whenever we come here. That will keep them away for a while. But they eventually figure out that if they attack together, I can only shoot a few and most will still get a piece of you."

Asami stared at him in horror. "And Fei puts up with this every week?"

"Of course not. He soon used his head instead. He paid one of them to spread a rumor about a mysterious sad past involving unrequited love and baseball, and he stands at the fence with a wistful look every week. The women think it's incredibly romantic, and give him privacy in his sorrow. It was a stroke of genius, of course."

"Of course." Asami was proud of Fei for playing dirty. And that sounded like just the thing for him to do as well. 

He beckoned what looked like a talkative girl over and offered her a 1000 yen note. "Child, could I please trouble you to get me a drink? I'm afraid the radiation therapy has left me weak today, and I'm so very thirsty. The doctor told me not to come, but I have so little time left to be close to Fei and Tao... And Fei couldn't make it today. I only hope... No, I cannot wish for something that cannot be." 

He blinked quickly and turned his face away, but not before she caught sight of tears in his eyes. It was something he'd taught himself - no one needed to know he was thinking of his favorite stocks falling. The girl teared up herself, then raced back to her friends and whispered among them before running for the vending machine. Asami could see the rumor spread through the crowd like a gentle wave.

By the time the girl got back, Asami was surrounded by a respectful silence. One older lady even offered him her shawl, which Yoh tried to drape about his shoulders, but which Asami declined with a glare at him. 

He was finally left in peace. Asami popped open the can with a smirk and took a big drink. _Gah! Honey-strawberry milk? Though it tastes a bit like Akihito..._ He set it aside. _It would probably be too out of character to ask her to get me some beer._ He settled back to watch.

Once the game got started the crowd around him thinned out. He noticed a small group of girls preventing people from standing in front of him so that his field of vision was kept clear. He really needed to find a way to incorporate these girls into the organization. They'd be great bodyguards. He glanced at Yoh. And he could use a few new ones.

He turned his attention back to the game. The caliber of play in it wasn't high. Balls were being dropped right and left, people were tripping while running the bases. It was painful to watch. Especially when Tao dropped a ball that was an easy out. The boy lost concentration after that.

He felt something poke his ass and he turned in irritation. "Yoh, goddammit, did you just kick a dying man?"

"Yes. Say something to him. He needs encouragement."

Say something? What the hell was he supposed to say? He either moved on and got the job done or he stewed in his misery. Then he remembered his words from the English lesson. 

"Tao!" he shouted, getting the boy's attention. He picked up the can of strawberry honey milk and turned it upside down, spilling it onto the grass. Tao stared at him a moment, then laughed. His shoulders straightened, and he proceeded to catch and make the next out.

_That's my boy._

Later in the game, when Tao dropped another, Asami noted with pride that it didn't affect him in the least. He went on to tag the runner headed into first base and the game was over, Tao's team winning.

Tao ran over to where they were standing. "Did you see Uncle Ryuichi? I didn't let it bother me at all the second time and we won!"

Asami smiled down at him. "Well done."

"It was all thanks to you." Tao threw his arms around him and hugged him. "You're the best."

Asami stilled, then he lifted arms up to hold the boy. He remembered, then, the longing he'd felt as a child for someone older that he could depend on. Someone he didn't have to be afraid of, or take care of. Someone who would just _be_ there. A parent, the way a parent should be. He suddenly wanted to be that for Tao.

His arms tightened about Tao's shoulders. "Don't sell yourself short. You're the one who got the job done. You should be proud of yourself."

Tao pulled back and Asami was surprised that he wished he hadn't. The boy laughed. "I am proud but I'm trying to be modest."

Asami was confused. "Why would you want to be that?"

Tao shook his head, still laughing. "I really do love you, Uncle Ryuichi. I have to shower and change, then we can go home. I'll only be a few minutes.

"We'll be at the car."

They walked back to the limo to wait.

"Boss."

"Yeah?"

"You did good."

A snide reply died on his lips, because for once the compliment was something he'd truly hoped he'd earned.

He got into the limo and relaxed into the leather seat. Much nicer than the ground. _God I need a cigarette._ Smoking one at the game would have broken his cover so he refrained for the whole time. He pulled out his pack and quickly lit one up. _Ahhhh._ He might have time for two before Tao got out here.

Tao really got to him lately. He supposed he was reminded of himself a little. It's no wonder that he wanted to give him a father. But, should he? What would Fei think of this? And for that matter, what would Tao think of it? It's one thing now, with the boy being alone with him. But when Fei was back, Tao wouldn't really need him. 

That hurt a little.

He'd never seriously thought of having a child. He just had no desire to pass on the Asami family genes. The world was fucked up enough. Adoption had always been the only option. He hadn't even planned on taking that one though, not unless Akihito wanted it. He knew how much Akihito loved kids and if he wanted one of his own well, Asami always saw to it that Akihito got what Akihito wanted. Though he didn't usually let Akihito know he was pulling strings.

But, he supposed, if he had to design a kid to adopt, Tao wasn't that far off from what he'd have picked. Highly intelligent, extremely loyal, aggressive. He had a strong set of morals but they were based upon his own logic, and the law didn't always fit into what he saw as "right". That was important in this business. And he had an instinct with money that was unmatched in any of Asami's underlings.

So yeah, he was a good kid. Really, all he needed was to be a little more evil and he'd be perfect.

But that didn't make it a good idea.

Then again, when had that stopped him before? They'd work it out. He wasn't going to turn back from this now.

_I'll be there for you, Tao._

He just had to figure out how to tell them.

 

\--

 

Later that night he sat with Tao in front of the plasma screen, guiltily taking pleasure in watching Tao hack apart one of the creatures that had killed him the night before.

"Did you finish your homework?" It was a parental thing to ask.

Tao shifted a little. "Not yet. I'll get to it."

Asami shrugged. "Don't bother on my account. You need grades good enough to get into the college you want, but that doesn't mean you can't skip out on classes and assignments on occasion. Life's more fun that way."

"If you don't care then why did you ask?"

"Fei will ask me when I call him in a minute. I thought he'd like to know how your game went today, don't you agree?"

Tao looked back for a second, and his eyes narrowed. "I know that tone of voice. You're up to something."

Asami lit up a cigarette. "Maybe. Just don't interfere. You can talk to him later."

Tao shook his head, while parrying an ax blow with his sword. "Don't even tell him I'm here. I don't want him to think I'm a part of it."

"Chicken."

"Discretion is the better part of valor. I memorized that one."

Asami snorted then picked up the phone. He dialed and waited, then grinned at the grumbling voice answering.

"Fei. It took you a while to answer the phone. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Asami heard Akihito swearing in the background. He smirked. "Tell Akihito the sooner he comes home, the sooner he can be back with someone who won't interrupt their time together to answer the phone."

_"Is there a point to this call, dear?"_ Fei's voice was anything but sweet.

"Of course. I thought you'd want to hear about your son's game today. It was a memorable one. But... if you're not interested in him, I'll just tell him." He winked at Tao. "Tao, that's alright, don't cry. I'll take you back to that hostess club and we'll get you the blond this time. I've heard she can do amazing things with a swizzle stick..."

Tao buried his face in his hands. His creature was promptly beheaded. Asami winced.

_"Asami."_ Icicle shards were hanging along the phone line.

The accused grinned. "The game was much more exciting than I'd anticipated. Not just the game, though Tao shone there, of course. But the business opportunities. There was nothing to drink for any of the parents, much less for all the yakuza I'd brought."

_"You brought yakuza..."_

"Well, yes. The security was terrible. There were no perimeters established. Anyone could just come up and watch. I took care of that of course, and made everyone pass through checkpoints, and had them institute body searches on anyone looking suspicious. That kept out most of the riffraff. Including your fangirls. Though evidently it kept out some of the parents too, but maybe next time they'll try to look presentable and carry some ID."

Silence met him. He knew what Fei's face looked like right now, and he enjoyed every second of it. 

"But back to business, I brought over a few of the hostesses from Sion and had them set up a beer stand. We served the first few free to get things moving, until the parents got mad that we were letting the kids drink. What the hell? It was only beer. It seemed to make them loosen up on the field a bit after that too. Though I'll admit giving beer to the ump might not have been the best idea. But after Yoh shot at him he seemed to focus a bit more. That Yoh's a devil after a few drinks."

_"Asami. Please tell me you're joking."_

"Why would I joke about this? You know I have to admit being a little nervous about being left with the kid for a few days, but we've really hit it off. This parenting thing is a breeze. I don't know why I thought it was anything difficult. Perhaps your preening over it..."

_"I'm going to kill you."_

"Are you? Well, we owe a hefty bribe to the school board for the liquor permit, so make sure you take care of that or all my negotiations will go to waste."

_"Fei, don't be an idiot. He's messing with you."_

Asami grinned. Akihito was naïve about jokes played on himself, but he could spot one played on someone else a mile away. "Hello, Akihito. It's so nice to hear your voice. We've missed you. I was going to call Hamada but I'm saving it all up for when you get back. Make sure you get some sleep there, because you won't be getting any here."

He could practically hear Akihito melt at his words. He wanted to drag his tongue through some liquid Akihito.

_"We missed you too. We? You mean you and Tao?"_

"That would be us. Though I got your green dwarf killed. Annihilated actually. Some zombies have no sense of humor."

_"You got –"_ Akihito choked. _"You were gaming online?"_

"Of course." He took a deep breath. "It's all a part of spending time with one's son." 

Tao's head shot up from where it had been buried in his hands. Asami stared back at him, waiting for an answer. 

Tao's eyes shimmered a little. He quickly picked up his controller, and turned back to the screen. Asami wasn't sure how to take that.

_"Ryuichi? Did you just say what I think you did?"_

"Yeah. Got a problem with it?"

_"No. In fact I think we're both very happy to hear it. I at least have hoped for it for a while now."_

"Have you." Asami ran his mind back over recent conversations. "Could that have something to do with your trip?"

_"No. That was just a happy chance. What is Tao's reaction to this, by the way? Can I speak to him now?"_

"Sure. Tao? Would you like to speak to your father?"

Tao shook his head. "Not right now. I've got business to take care of. These guys have to learn what happens when they mess with my dad."

Asami felt the walls around his heart crack open at that final blow, allowing a third in. His son. 

Now it felt right. Now his whole family was there. Family. He'd never thought he'd have one. Now look at him...

_"Ryuichi...did he just...?"_

He blinked. "Fei, you heard him. He's defending his family. There's nothing more important. And I need to go help him. We'll see you in a couple of days. Take care of each other."

There was a pause at the other end of the line. _"I'd say the same, but it sounds like you're already doing that. Thank you for loving our son."_

_Thank_ you, _Fei._ "He makes it easy." 

He disconnected, and stubbed out the remains of his cigarette. His eyes focused on the back of Tao's head.

"You're crying again. You really take after Akihito sometimes."

"It's the okay kind of crying. I'm not crying over spilt dwarf blood."

Asami laughed at that and got down onto the floor next to Tao, who looked up at him shyly.

"Did you mean that? What you said on the phone?"

"I don't say things I don't mean. You should know that."

Tao nodded. "I know. But that was kind of important to me, so I wanted to make sure I heard it right."

"You heard it right. Unless you somehow heard that I enjoy being a giant green dwarf. Wearing sequins. To battle. Akihito can't even dress himself, so I don't know why that surprises me. At least the collar on his chain mail wasn't turned up."

Tao giggled. Asami pulled out his pack of Dunhills.

"You know, I used a strategy against the Russian mafia once that might work here. They're about as dumb as a pack of zombies. You want a cigarette? No? You really need to develop some vices. There are Asami family traditions to think of. Anyway, here's the idea..."

Thirty-six hours later the last zombie had either surrendered to the impossibly large black castle that had sprung up in the midst of their universe, or died. Those who surrendered were give a small card that allowed them to continue playing. It was simply inscribed:

_Words of wisdom:_

_1\. It's no use crying over spilt milk._  
_2\. A giant green dwarf in the hand is worth two in the bush._  
_3\. Don't fuck with Asami and Son._  


And two very tired but satisfied gamers fell against each other into a deep sleep on an ugly old couch, and stayed that way until the rest of their family came home.

 

~end~

**Author's Note:**

> (Here's a really cute pic Mar-chan drew to go with the story:  
> [Tao hugging Asami](http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k225/mercebymar/asami-tao.jpg))


End file.
